Monthly Archives: March 2014
Arctic nations agree to temporary restrictions
The government of Greenland announced Feb. 28 that the countries would work together to prevent fishing in the high seas of the Arctic based on a U.S. proposal at a summit held in Nuuk, Greeland Feb. 24-26. Shrinking summer sea ice has opened the possibility of fishing, although it is not yet occurring. Read more here 18:48
Lent begins = Biggest time of the year for seafood sales
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch….Today marks the start of Lent – and the biggest season for seafood sales. I’ll tell you more after this,, Read more here 17:34
Sadly, Nova Scotia Lobsterman Stephen Darin Hanson has passed after falling overboard
A man had died after falling overboard from a fishing boat off the coast of Nova Scotia. Stephen Darin Hanson, a 42-year-old Queens County man, died in hospital Monday evening. The incident remains under investigation but police don’t suspect foul play. Read more here 14:40
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Announces Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today released the fiscal year 2015 budget request for the U.S. Department of Commerce. The FY15 budget request supports and builds on President Obama’s vision for creating economic opportunity for all Americans,, Read more here commerce.gov 14:20
BP Must Cover Business Losses Without Evidence
Business-loss claims under a civil settlement related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster do not evidence of causation, the 5th Circuit ruled Monday. This marks the second time that BP failed to sway the court with,,, Read more here courthousenews 11:32
Squids Hampered by Acidifying Oceans
Acidifying oceans could dramatically impact the world’s squid species, according to a recent study led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers. Since squid are both ecologically and commercially important, that impact may have far-reaching effects on the ocean environment and coastal economies, the researchers said. Read more here ecori.org 11:10
New Jersey anglers criticize disaster relief funding
Tom Fote, of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association, has blamed the regional manager for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries for moving most of the money to New England. Donofrio said New England commercial fishermen have consistently overfished and are now being rewarded for it. He noted the $33 million is not going to the beleaguered charter and for-hire sector in New England. Read more here pressofatlanticcity.com 08:14
We ran this on Feb 28th – Out in Left Field – “and their Senate leaders reward them with $33 million in fisheries welfare”??? Read comments here
Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound: Cape Wind foes sue FAA over access to air traffic data
The primary opposition group fighting the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm has filed another related lawsuit, this time against the Federal Aviation Administration for not turning over documents that were part of a Freedom of Information Act request. Read more here capecodonline 07:33
Anatomy of Mersey hatchery’s destruction
Atlantic salmon in Nova Scotia are in trouble, and Fisheries and Oceans is a big part of that problem. In May of 2013, the Mersey Bio-diversity Facility Supporters Society (MBFSS) was formed and registered with Joint Stocks as a result of concerns of the Medway River Salmon Association. Read more here chronicleherald 06:11
Md. Senate committee approves DNR secretary nomination despite Gill’s recent conflicts with commercial fishermen.
A couple dozen watermen came to oppose Gill’s nomination, and some said the snowstorm had prevented many more from coming. They see Gill as an ill-tempered bully who dislikes the commercial fishing industry. Gill’s supporters say that isn’t his personality and doesn’t reflect his record with the DNR, where he was the principal attorney for 14 years and the deputy secretary since 2010. Read more here 05:59
Big runs of Columbia River chinook, coho highlight 2014 salmon forecasts
OLYMPIA – Salmon fishing in the ocean and the Columbia River this summer could be great thanks to an abundant run of hatchery coho and a potentially historic return of chinook, according to state fishery managers. Read more here wa.gov 22:38
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini – Winter fisheries are moving into spring. Tons of fishing updates after this
Saturday March 8th is opening day for halibut, state wide. Alaska’s total harvest this year is roughly 20 million pounds. Sablefish is opening as well. In the Gulf – State water cod will be,,Listen, and read more here 19:24
Senate Resources Holds a Confirmation Hearing for Board of Fisheries Member Fritz Johnson
The Senate Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing on Friday for the man who represents the Bristol Bay region on the Alaska Board of Fisheries. KDLG’s Mike Mason listened in and filed this report. Listen to the report 18:58
American Samoa DMWR Director reports on local issues
A crown of thorns or alamea outbreak and the removal of sea cucumbers were some of the issues the director of the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources highlighted during her statement at the 31st US Coral Reef Task Force Meeting. DMWR Director Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga is a member of the All Island Committee of the Task Force, which comprises American Samoa, CNMI, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Read more here talaneia.com 16:44
Gulf Red Snapper War: Macaluso: Fight over red snapper has to stop
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — It’s amazing to think anyone in Louisiana would try to derail recreational fishing efforts in our Sportsman’s Paradise. Yet, every time there’s a chance to make public comment about the ongoing battle between recreational and commercial fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, especially when it comes to red snapper, the Louisiana Restaurant Association lines up squarely against recreational fishermen. Read more here mysanantonio.com 14:15
BREAKING: Canadian Fisherman flown to hospital after falling overboard BREAKING: TO BE UPDATED
A 40-year-old fisherman was sent to hospital after falling overboard off the South Shore on Monday morning. Read more here 13:28
UPDATE: A 40-year-old man who fell overboard from a lobster fishing boat off the province’s southwest coast is in critical condition, RCMP say. But a spokesman for the military’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax said the man was not breathing when he was recovered from the cold water. “The crew immediately began CPR,” said Major Martell Thompson. It is not known what caused the man to fall. There are reports he may have sustained head injuries. Read more here chronicleherald 15:41
Fin whales killed by Iceland sent through Canada to Japan – Ottawa pressured to stop trans-shipments of whale meat
Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby has provided the federal government with a legal opinion supporting public cries for Canada to stop serving as a transshipment destination for the trade in meat from endangered whales between Iceland and Japan. Read more here vancouversun.com 11:24
Multi-specific fisheries management assessed for NAFO fishery ground
Several scientific institutions from Spain, Norway and Portugal are collaborating on a project to develop a multi-specific model for the assessment of fish stocks of the fishery ground on the Flemish Cap in the North Atlantic. Read more here fis 11:17
Lobster, Lobster Lobster!
Maine gears up to address looming lobster problem: the high number of inactive lobstermen – “Our industry’s changing. We need to be able to change with it,” Bob Baines of Spruce Head, who chairs the DMR’s lobster advisory council, said. “This is going to be a tough one — but you can’t keep kicking the can down the road. It needs to be dealt with.” Read more here
As the ocean gets warmer, are the lobsters heading to cooler northeast waters? – The lobster catch in zone A, from Schoodic Point east to the Canadian border, is seven times more now than it was just 10 years ago, Train said. “It’s good for them, but zone A, that’s our last zone,” he said, suggesting that maybe 10 years from now the majority of lobsters will have migrated even farther east — to Canadian waters. Read more here 09:01
We’re working to change who manages our fisheries
The 13 voting members of the SAFMC drive federal fishery management policy off the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia and east Florida. They will decide whether fishermen have the following: Over 1,000 sq. miles of additional, scientifically unjustifiable no-fishing zones or Marine Protected Areas. Job killing “catch shares” schemes. Unnecessary, expensive and intrusive Vessel Monitoring Systems. A red snapper fishery closure that extends beyond the current four years. The two seats up for appointment in June,, Read more here 08:32
Marine protected areas not holding up
“The Canadians and the people in Newfoundland, we have to be open to this,” said Rodolphe Devillers, lead author for the study undertaken by those researchers. “It’s either we want to make the sacrifices safe in terms of access to parts of the water, or then we have to accept that we’re not going to make no difference to conservation and that fish is slowly going to disappear.” Read more here 08:08
Biomedical bleeding may be hurting horseshoe crab population
Electronic data recorders called accelerometers that measure the crabs’ speed and direction were strapped to their backs and the crabs were placed in running wheels in tanks filled with seawater. Read more here 07:35
Shem Creek business closed after 65 years, others fear similar fate
The sign outside Wando Shrimp used to read, “Closed for Today.” Sunday morning, that sign was covered by one that read simply, “Closed.” The Mt. Pleasant seafood business closed for good after a 65-year run. Wando Shrimp is one of several closings on Shem Creek in recent months.”It’s very scary to see people you’ve known your whole life, now they don’t have a job,” he said. Read more here 07:15The Crew of the CF/V Ivy Rose Tell Their Rescue Story of the Crew of C/FV Cape Dorset on February 22, 2014
20 rescued from sinking vessel A CTV News video report. Watch it here 22:32
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting March 3-7, 2014 in Savannah, GA – Listen LIVE!
Briefing book materials, including a detailed agenda, agenda highlights, committee meeting overviews, committee documents, and information on the Informal Q&A and Public Comment Session are now available here Sign up for Webinar here 20:17
The Telegram beats up federal fisheries minister Gail Shea – Fact vs fishing
The federal fisheries minister, Gail Shea, made a decision to reopen three herring fishing zones off the B.C. coast, and was promptly taken to court by five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. The First Nations won their case after a federal court judge granted an injunction stopping the fishery — but what’s even more fascinating is the evidence that turned up in the case. Read more here 19:28
Line item needed to restore crab – Lu Dochtermann, FV North Point, Kodiak
I got many endorsements of my recent letter (Hiring choice questioned) on Kodiak’s besotted advisor selection and the demise of the King Crab Capital of the World. Emails rolled in and the phone rang constantly. The letter made a national website for, as one commenter noted, “sleeping with the enemy.” The Board of Fisheries recently approved my proposal to wisely shut down hard on bottom trawling in all state waters around Kodiak. Read more here , both pieces. 18:00
In New Orleans courts, the legal gusher BP cannot contain
But the source of much of BP’s ire lies with a legal donnybrook over a settlement designed to compensate individuals and businesses for economic harm caused by the spill. BP alleges that many of the 256,478 claims filed — by a parade of fishermen, hotels, surf shops, law firms, nursing homes, strip clubs and others — are unjustified or even fraudulent. Read more here todayszaman.com 13:46
Department of Fish and Wildlife reviews Puget Sound commercial and recreational smelt regulations
“These forage fish are essential to the health of Puget Sound, where over the last several years we have seen an increase in the harvest of smelt,” Burley said in a news release. “So we’d like to discuss the current regulations to help ensure we have the appropriate harvest levels to continue to sustain the population. Read more Pew here the newstribune.com 13:26
